Saturday, March 5, 2011

Day 4-5, At Sea and at Costa Maya

The Allure took a couple of nights and a full day at sail before arriving at Costa Maya, which is a region in Mexico on the Caribbean Sea side. This port of call is close to Belize (formerly known as British Honduras) and is just now emerging as an attractive tourist destination as a consequence of the completion of the long pier to accomodate cruise ships. We did not visit Belize nor did we bother to see some of the Mayan ruins nearby because they are not as spectacular as the ones we have already seen in our previous land trips and cruise stops to other parts of Mexico. We just hang out near the beach and the watering holes (for the guys) and the shopping areas (for the gals) LOL.



Costa Maya as seen from the top deck of the our ship


Cruisers on their way to explore this new port of call





The other cruise ship "parked" perpendicular to ours is the Norwegian Epic





The good life?


Booze brought to the ship are temporarily "confiscated" and delivered to your stateroom the evening prior to debarkation. Bummer!


This guy tried to stop me from taking a pic of his shop! When he did not succeed, he asked me for money. He did not succeed either LOL. What a jerk!




For those who do not feel like walking and want to cover more ground, a horse-drawn carriage is an option, as are rental SUVs and motorized cycles.





I'm not sure if this is a police or military patrol but it sure is an indication that it is not all heaven in this coastal paradise.

25 comments:

docgelo said...

nice photos! i particularly like the 3rd one - your shot of the ship!

iba talaga pagpa-cruise-cruise na lang... ahhhh sarap! :D

bertN said...

Mas masarap ang buhat mo when we were at the same age and at the same stage in our professional lives! Just stay away from those heavily discounted sales or your wife will probably hide your wallet or help you reduce its weight LOL.

sheng said...

I wanted to try that horse-drawn carriage aka kalesa when I was in Manila, friends did not allow me as they insisted it's a gross sight and mabaho daw. looking at those who rides the kalesa, and passengers covering their noses, mukhang totoo nga.

George said...

Your pictures really do look like they were taken in a tropical paradise -- until the last one. Still, it looks like a good place to relax and enjoy the sun.

RIZALENIO said...

I'm looking at your photos like I'm buying a postcard. Breathtaking views esp the third-eight images.

These are all postcard perfect photographs.

bertN said...

sheng, it's really a gross sight when you see a poor horse pulling a karitela full of people while the kutsero is beating the life out of the horse to do a better job.

George, it's a good place to enjoy whatever there is to enjoy, but because of the drug cartels in Mexico and their turf wars, you have to be careful even in places you perceived as paradise.

Rizalenio, coming from you, its a complement. Thank you!

Photo Cache said...

don't they offer shore excursions, like city tour for those who'd want to just explore the city?

thepinaysolobackpacker said...

wow! ang yaman naman, dream ko din makapg-cruise. I;m super envious, ganda ng mga beach! thnx for sharing, parang nag-cruise na din ako sa gnada ng mga photos mu. :)

Rio said...

nakakainngit naman po kayo:)

RJ said...

Sarap sigurong paduyan-duyan just like in the 7th photo. Huhmn.

Paano niyo po kaya na-handle ng maayos ang shop-owner na ayaw pakunan ng picture ang tinda nya?

bertN said...

Photo Cache, they do but my Commander-in-Chief (aka my wife), didn't think they were worth it here LOL.

thepinaysolobackpacker, yaman? Keep your dream alive, you'll be able to do it and probably sooner than you think. It is not expensive. The average cost is plus or minus $100/day with the emphasis on minus. Of course, this is exclusive of airfare, gratuities, booze, shore expenses, and whatever or/or wherever else you want to "invest" your money in LOL.

Rio, if you know me you will not be mai-inggit. I'm the life you do not want to live LOL.

RJ, it's free if you duyan yourself but if somebody else duyan you, it will cost you LOL.

I usually just do my thing, ignore them and walk away. If they beat me up (never happen yet), I hurt, they lose.

Reena said...

haha. ang damot naman nung isang shop. haha. :) glad you enjoyed your trip.

bing said...

i think it's the guy's way of earning additional income, extort money from those who try to capture pictures of his shop he he

i like the duyan and the kalesa. so pinoy.

bertN said...

Reena, I don't know if he was being madamot - I think he was being ornery...wala ba sigurong benta LOL.

bing, you are probably right. Tourists are always a target of opportunity anywhere they go. Some of them are willing targets though LOL.

Sidney said...

Wow...those ships are really big !
Looks like a very relaxing way of travelling the world !

Missy said...

Cruise again?? I envy you, kakainis pacruise-cruise na lang hehehe, mabuti naman at napicture-an mo pa rin yun tinda nun mama hehehe, ako rin siguro pipicture-an ko yun kahit magalit sya hehehe, ang rude naman niya

so which cruise do you think is the best to try??

bertN said...

Sidney, cruising is really a relaxing way to travel, especially for oldies like me LOL.

Missy, a Mediterranean cruise is by far the best, followed closely by a Southeast Asian one. Since you are now based in Washington (?), an Alaskan cruise is not a bad idea.

Btw, aren't you glad you left Misawa when you did? I feel terrible for the areas in Japan and the people that took the brunt of the triple whammies - earthquake, tsunami and a possible nuclear meltdown.

kg said...

that pool looks so inviting! but how come few are swimming? malamig ba?

haay..kelan kaya ako makakapunta sa mga ganyang lugar?

bertN said...

kg, hindi malamig, wala lang enough dippers where I took the photo. Makakapunta ka sa ganitong places, just keep your dreams alive. I did, and my dreams became realities but now I ask, "What's the big deal? I was happier when my dreams were but dreams because they gave me goals to make my life more meaningful.

dodong flores said...

Hmmnnn... Nice photos, as always. I dreamed of traveling around the world with my bicycle, but I think cruise ship is much more interesting :)

I'm trying to enlarge the 4th photo just to see if there are sexy girls round. I see a few but they are not that close :D :D :D

Pinay Travel Junkie said...

Grrr! We need to save up so we can afford doing a cruise someday soon... Sooo jealous!

bertN said...

dodong flores, biking around the world is a lofty dream but it is doable. I've ran into a few who did this, all of them were young and have unlimited time on their hands. Btw, I'll post some beach scenes when I get a chance LOL.

Pinay Travel Junkie, they are not terribly expensive. Cruising can be as cheap as $200 to as expensive as several thousands, depending on the length of the cruise and the ports of call or its itinerary, exclusive of airfares.

BlogusVox said...

Ahh, the good life of a retireee.

I think, that patrol is just a precaution in case some "bad elements" wants to disrupt the normal operation of the area. You know naman what's going on in some part of Mexico. Especially around the border with the US.

The Nomadic Pinoy said...

it's unbelievable how that man tried to stop you from taking photos of the stuff he's selling. he probably doesn't know about internet advertising yet. lol!

bertN said...

Blogusvox, I think the patrol is a message to the bad guys that they mean business.

The Nomadic Pinoy, I think he was just being ornery. Siguro wala ba siyang benta LOL.